Jan. 28 (UPI) -- The Defense Department said Tuesday that 50 U.S. military personnel have now been diagnosed with concussions and traumatic brain injuries after an Iranian missile attack on U.S. forces in Iraq earlier this month.
Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Thomas Campbell said 16 additional service members have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries since a report on Friday following the Jan. 7 attack in which Iran launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles at two Iraqi military bases where U.S. forces were stationed.
"Of these 50, 31 total service members were treated in Iraq and returned to duty, including 15 of the additional service members who have been diagnosed since the previous report," Campbell said. "Eighteen service members have been transported to Germany for further evaluation and treatment."
Campbell described the figures as a "snapshot in time" and acknowledged that the numbers may change.
"The department is committed to delivering programs and services intended to lead to the best possible outcomes for our service members who suffer any injury," he said.
Initially, President Donald Trump said there had been no injuries in the missile strike including one in Erbil and the al-Asad Air Base.
Iranian state media reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Air Force launched the ground-to-ground missiles as part of its so-called Operation Martyr Soleimani in response to a U.S. airstrike that killed commander Qassem Soleimani.
